Sock drier



May 26, 1953 L. M. LAKE 2,639,845

SOCK DRIER Filed April 17. 195o BY MKM Patented May 26, 1953 unir-EosTAr rs erreur ortica:

2;(539345Vv y SQGK DRIER:

Lillian M. LakeLManhattan Beach,:(lalf: p

applicationApril' 1E. 1950, SeraENo.. 15a/3.6L

(Cl. 22a-.771'

, Claims.

This; invention relates.q to a deviceqior holding. men-sf wool socks anal theflilie in.- proper shape while: the socks are` drying 1alterL being washed. Sock driers. or sock. stretelfiers;- ,as-they. are known inthe art, are commonly usedt to preventY ex.- cessiveshrinkage; of woolz socks andgtheflihe while they; are .kleingdriect. Suchdevices7 are-commonly formed. in a single-plane such as,- for example.. as show-n theKerb-awy patena. Re, 22,882. Mens woolasoeksdr-ied on. suona device do notitahe the shape of a human foot hut are stretclaeetA eil-tot natural position..

It, is the principal. object, of. this;A invention'` toprovide an: improredf form of'A sockdrie; which holds the drying sock the shape of; a". human. foot and which, provi-des; tor free; passage oifor drying;

Another obj-ect. ofr this; invention: istoz provide.y an. adiustazble. device of this type; in. which'. a foot; portionmayfbe adjiistedrelativetaan ankle, portieni to. accommodate socks: or different. sizes.

A. more detailed. object; is.; to. provide a. sock; dryineshelt. or hollow formation in the general form of." a human. foot; and anldc, which shelly is prov'ided with a large number of? apertures over its entire surface, the shell being formed; of ananhle portion. and a telescopic'. foot. portion which. are rewlaiuxrelyf adjustable toV accommodate socks of dierent: sizes, the incrementa of adjustment corresponding. to the.y aperture spacingA sol that"l the apertures in the two. portions: remain registry.

@ther objects and advantageswill be described more fully hereinafter..

In. the.y drawings:

Figure 1' is a. perspective View'y sho-wing: a preferrea; form. of my invention, av number off the apertures. being omitteclfor clarity of ill-ustra tion.

2r is. a longitudinal sec-tionalviewl taken substantially. on the lines. 2 2? asf shown in Figure. I.

Figure 3. is a transverse sectional' elevation taken substantially on the lines 3.--3 as shown in Figure 2f..

Referring to. the drawings, I" provide a hollow' shell. In: formed the shapel off a human ioot and ankle. This shell isf. preferablyI constructed oi light-gauge metal; although it may be formed of plastic or other materials if desired. The shell is of two part: construction including an ankle piece I I and a foot piece lf2. @nerend of' thelfoot piece I2 is received in telescopic relation within the. ankle piece II. As shown in the. drawings.. the lower side surfaces i3 on the ankle piece flj are curved to provide parallel guides. for reception of the rearwarclhr extending proection I 4' formed integrally on the foot piece i2. The projection f4 is oval in cross-section and slidably mounted within the guides thus formed by the curved surfaces I3, and hence the foot piece I2 is telescopi- 2i cally-resales@ within the lower part of the. ankle pieeel L.

A central strip liscut from the bottom of 'the ankle piece Il, endisfolded back. as shownl at i6 against, the heel. PDrtion. of the. ankle piece. IL, This stripis bent.V forwardly. as sho=v-zn1at` Il'. and.

extends. horizontally. across the. hollow interior there-oi. toward the extreme forward. end 13,01? the ankle piece II.. Atits forward end the strip I5 is bent. back to iorm atab. i9, and this. tab may be secured; to. theV adjacentportion of. the, ankle piece II, by any convenient means such as, for example, by spot welding 2o. The horizontal portion- 2- I of this stripr I-E contacts the upper surface 22A of the projection IA in sliding relationship.

The foot piece I2 is. thus guided. for-sliding move.- rnent into and out of the socket 2'3, in the lower endl of the ankle piece II but. isA prevented from turning with respect.' thereto byI reason of itsoval cross-section andthe guides provided by the surfaces Ii; and the horizontal portion 2l of thev strip I5.

In, order to provide maximumdrying effect the she-1l laisfnrorideeljwith a large number oi closely slflaceti12inartures lik. These apertures have. been largely omitted in Figurel l for clarity of illustra-- tion. apertures 2li.- are provided both the arxhlepiecs l I; the-foot, piece I2, so thatmaxielle I t may beobtained.

Means-are nr. sa adiustably securingy the foot. piene la relative to the. ankle piece. llin any one; Qi. a. plurality oi positions in order Athat the single: einer shell. is mar be used' to dry socks of dierent sizes. `As showni-n the drawings, this clude a spring element. 25 iixed. at

one; endw. .1n the' interior, ci the oval projection Hl by any convenient meansV suc-h= as, for example, by spot welclhile 2E. This.; element 25 may be shaped its extending end; to provide a handle 2l.. A. latch 228; Esseri. to the spring element 25. projects through an aperture it., in the oval proiection la and:v extends into, any one or a plurality 0f. latch. openings 315B provided in the horizontal piece Zt.. The; spacing. of; the latch openings 38- ischosen asa multiple oi the horizontal spacing oi the apertures lit the pmi-fiction; i4 surfaces. soA that. tha inner andi outer aperti-tres are in registry when the latch Pi" is. received. within any one ci the.: latch openings 39:.

The. bottom ci the.' form, H1; is oren te permit access or the angers, oiv the user into the interior of the oval shaped projection I4 and into: the interior ofzthe. lower portion, of the; ankle piece Iii. As shown clearly-f in Figure 3', this opening:y Srl; is. defined between the parallel edges 322` on the. oval projection Mi and between the parallel edges 3% on the ankle piece II? formed byl cut-out of the strip I5. The latehing device, includ-ing the spring element 25, handle 21, pin 28 and latch openings 30, is mounted in an out of the way 3 location and yet is easily accessible through the lower opening.

The upper end 34 of the ankle piece Il may be reduced in size as shown to correspond with the location of ribbing customarily provided at the upper end of mens wool socks. A support clip 35 may extend upwardly from the reduced portion 34 and provided with a hook 36 so that the shell I and an enveloping sock may be suspended from any convenient support.

If desired, a scale may be provided on the under surface 31 of the foot piece l2. The forward edge I8 of the ankle piece Il may then be used as an index with this scale so that the user may select the proper adjusted position for the foot piece I2 relative to the ankle piece Il to correspond with any nominal size of mens socks within the range of adjustment.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the details herein set forth, but my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a sock drier, the combination of: a hollow ankle member, a hollow foot member adjustably mounted thereon for sliding movement, the foot member and ankle member being shaped to simulate a human foot, ankle and lower leg, the foot member and ankle member each being provided with a large number of apertures distributed over substantially the entire surface of said members, and means including a releasable positive latch device for adjustably securing the foot member to the ankle member at a plurality of positions spaced in even multiples of the spacing of the apertures, so that apertures in overlapping portions of said members remain in registry.

2. In a sock drier, the combination of: a hollow ankle member, a hollow foot member adjustably mounted thereon for sliding movement, the foot member and ankle member being shaped to simulate a human foot, ankle and lower leg, the foot member and ankle member ea-ch being provided with a large number of apertures distributed over substantially the entire surface of said members, and means including a releasable positive latch device within said members for adjustably securing the foot member to the ankle member at a plurality of positions spaced in even multiples of the spacing of the apertures, so

that apertures in overlapping portions of said members remain in registry.

3. In a sock drier, the combination of: a hollow ankle member, a hollow foot member telescopically mounted therein for `sliding movement, the foot member and ankle member being shaped to simulate a human foot, ankle and lower leg, the foot member and ankle member each being provided with a large member of apertures distributed over substantially the entire surface of said members, and releasable positive latch means within said members for adjustably securing the foot member to the ankle member at a plurality of equally spaced positions, the apertures in the telescoping portions of said members being spaced so that they register at each of said positions.

4. In a sock drier, the combination of z a twopart hollow form shaped to simulate a human foot, ankle and lower leg, the form including 7 an ankle member and a foot member, cooperating sliding parts on the members providing an adjustable mounting for the foot member on the ankle member, said cooperating parts permitting movement of the foot member in a direction lengthwise of the foot member, a positive latch device positioned within the interior of said form for securing Vthe foot member to the ankle member at a plurality of positions, the foot member having an access opening extending along its lower portion so that the latch device may be manually operated.

5. In a sock drier, the combination of z a twopart hollow form shaped to simulate a human foot, ankle and lower leg, the form including an ankle member and a foot member, cooperating sliding parts on the members providing a telescopic mounting for the foot member within the ankle member, said cooperating parts including a projection on the foot member received within a socket on the ankle member and permitting movement of the foot member in a direction lengthwise of the foot member, a positive latch device positioned within the interior of said form for securing the foot member to the ankle member at a plurality of positions, said members having an access opening along the lower portion of each so that the latch device may be manually operated.

6. In a sock drier, the combination of a twopart hollow form shaped to simulate a human foot, ankle and lower leg, the form including an ankle member and a foot member, cooperating sliding parts on the members providing an adjustable mounting for the foot member on the ankle member, said cooperating parts permitting movement of the foot member in a direction lengthwise of the foot member, a positive latch device positioned within the interior of said form for securing the foot member to the ankle memberl at a plurality of positions, the foot member having an access opening extending along its lower portion so that the latch device may be manually operated, said members each being provided with apertures distributed over substantially the entire surface of said members, the apertures in the telescoping portions of said members being spaced so that they register at each of said positions of the foot member.

7. In a sock drier, the combination of: a twopart hollow form shaped to simulate a human foot, ankle and lower leg, the form including an ankle member and a foot member, a projection on the foot member slidably received within the ankle member so that movement of the foot member in a lengthwise direction is permitted, a strip of the lower portion of the ankle member being removed to provide an access opening for the interior of the form, the strip being doubled back within the ankle member and extended forwardly to provide a horizontal guide for the 'projection on the foot member, and a latch device positioned within the interior of said form for securing the foot member projection to the ankle member guide at a plurality of positions.

LILLIAN M. LAKE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,302,617 Witherell May 6, 1919 1,948,225 Myers et al Feb. 20, 1934 2,534,749 Wright Dec. 19, 1950 2,545,479 Loutz Mar. 20, 1951 

